Summer 2007 Internship

What a terrific year it has been for arts, culture and the outdoors in Oregon and in our own community.  I believe this has been the best summer for Eugene thus far, with the successful completion of the 25th Anniversary celebrations of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, the summer First Friday ARTWalk series, Saturday and Farmers Markets, the Art and the Vineyard, the Lane County Fair, the Mayor’s Art Show, and the Eugene Celebration, to name but a few.  We have enjoyed a smorgasbord of sensory delights and energized our local economy.  We produced many excellent festivals, concerts, theater productions, dance performances, celebrations, and other cultural events that generated significant goodwill and prosperity to our area in such a short season.  Thanks to the many talented and caring volunteers who make Eugene shine.  We are blessed to have a large population of talented and gifted people in the arts, who lend their expertise producing world-class arts experiences that inspire and move us.  
We have the potential to become a great annual summer cultural destination, the place to be for arts, culture and the outdoors in the nation.  In addition to participating in the arts and culture, over the last year, the community participated in a cultural review process, managed by a committee that represented many segments of our community.  Every step of the process was documented and posted on the City’s Cultural Policy Review web site including public invitations to provide input throughout its various stages, all the meeting minutes, preliminary findings, and reports, as well as the selection of a Cultural Policy Review Committee and an independent consultant to gather and disseminate data, to build and produce a report on the state of arts and culture in our community, and provide recommendations for a more vibrant environment.  We want everyone to know that all the information is at your fingertips and ongoing participation is welcomed.
As noted in the Cultural Policy Review Report, “the level of community involvement is extraordinarily high…with over 300 people attending community meetings and almost 2,500 individuals completing the “cultural census” survey.”  This indicates to me that the arts and culture is relevant to the vibrancy and wellbeing of our community.  How terrific that so many of you took the time to share your views about arts, culture, heritage and preservation, and provided wonderful insights to how community arts projects could benefit financially and relationally, when coordinated in a collaborative way, so that our entire community can benefit from its intrinsic values. 
Last July, the Eugene City Council unanimously passed a motion to accept the Cultural Policy Review Report and directed the City Manager to initiate implementation and identify funding for Priority 1 strategies during the fiscal year 2009 budget realignment process, “and to initiate additional strategies that can be accomplished with the help of community partners and within existing resources.”  What an accomplishment – to have city government and community working together towards a common goal.  Thank you to all who have contributed to the arts, culture and the outdoors.   
Thanks to the investment made by fellow Oregonians, the Oregon Arts Commission awarded substantial grants to arts organizations throughout Oregon.  In Eugene, 12 arts organizations were awarded a total of $90,500 – from the Oregon Cultural Trust.  The Lane County Cultural Coalition awarded 14 arts organizations totaling $20,300 for 2006-07 – from the Oregon Cultural Trust.  As reported by Arts Beat reporter Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett, “$1.36 million in grants from the state-run Oregon Cultural Trust will go out to a very wide range of arts-nurturing proposals…”  This is an increase from the previous year and with your continued support, will continue to adequately grow our endowment in a sustainable way.  Congratulations to these organizations that are utilizing these funds to create meaningful arts experiences, in collaboration with other organizations and entities. 
The Oregon Cultural Trust has done a good job informing Oregonians about the benefit of investing in an arts endowment so that regardless of legislative or financial impacts, the arts, cultural, heritage and preservation would be supported.  As a result, more funding was available to the many arts organizations that produce meaningful arts experiences.  In July 2006, the Oregon Arts Commission introduced the Creative Vitality Index as a tool to measure performance outcomes of Oregon’s creative industry and using the data to determine funding awards.  Oregon was mapped in sections designated as Workforce Development Areas (WDA). According to the July 2006 Oregon Arts Commission’s “Creative Vitality Index, State of Oregon” report, Lane County WDA 5 has the second highest occupational index in the state at 1.58. This is above the Oregon State index of 0.95. There was a larger consideration of jobs in the primary arts occupations than in the secondary occupations, 1,288 and 810 respectively.”  This is encouraging news.  This would mean that a college graduate or a seasoned artist would not have to leave our community to make a living creating meaningful arts experiences, but continue to thrive here in the creative process and the community benefits from their talents and gifts.
Next year is going to be even better! In July 2008, Eugene ’08 will bring visitors from all over the world to experience the excitement of the 2008 Olympic Trials in Track and Field, and enjoy the many arts, cultural and outdoor events that would not only invigorate our community base, but contribute to the investment of our cultural policy.  Effort is being made from every sector to accommodate the Eugene ’08 program.  People are working together to ensure that our community is featured in a positive way, that promotes civic pride and highlights the beauty of this great region.  We have a lot to offer, but it requires financial support. 
Many thanks to the Oregon Cultural Trust for providing funding for 26 projects of these arts organizations this fiscal year.  This funding would allow the best creativity to emerge as the best representation of what our region has to offer, empower arts professionals to produce outstanding arts and cultural festivals and events that utilize sustainable business practices to reduce the impact to our beautiful environment, and provide educational opportunities towards a more sustainable community.  It is heartening to see the benefits of working together to create high-quality arts experiences and how adequate funding can go a long way to sustaining an arts and culture legacy with a tradition of producing quality experiences.  With adequate funding, Eugene and its surrounding communities would be able to work together and combine resources to create and sustain a vibrant and healthy community.  This is a great beginning and we ask our fellow Oregonians to continue making contributions towards a sustainable arts and culture endowment and maintaining our cultural heritage and legacy – as mandated by our cultural plan.

The link to the Overview of Integrating All Community Activities Presentation is

The link to the Summer Internment Presentation is